


Not So Alone

by ClockworkDinosaur (orphan_account)



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Gift Fic, M/M, ghost au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-13
Updated: 2017-02-13
Packaged: 2018-09-23 23:32:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,101
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9687308
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/ClockworkDinosaur
Summary: Jake had come to expect everything his island could throw at him. What wasn't expected was the the faint blue figure that stared at him in the mirror.





	

**Author's Note:**

> When your friend ships a rarepair and you arrive to provide The Content

Jake had come to expect everything his island could throw at him. Ravenous beasts, howling storms, and lively flora were part of his every day life. What wasn't expected was the the faint blue figure that stared at him in the mirror, hovering over his shoulder with an identical expression of surprise as they met eyes.

Jake was dumbstruck, toothpaste foam in his mouth as the figure wavered in his vision. The barely-there ghost ( _an honest to goodness ghost!_ ) watched him and Jake had the impression that his eyes were wide and his expression almost bordered on terrified.

Then he was gone, and Jake was left alone with the sound of the running faucet and a white-knuckle grip on his now broken toothbrush.

 

He would be lying if he said he didn't keep an eye out for the strange blue mirror-boy. He tried to rationalize it- he was tired, he wasn't wearing his glasses, the bathroom was steamy- but that was no illusion he had seen, as hard as it was to admit to himself.

He wanted to see him again. Call it curiosity or call it loneliness, whatever compelled him to leave a sticky note on his mirror before he went to sleep one night.

Hello!

The word stared back at him and he did his best not to feel silly for leaving a note to a vision he wasn't quite ready to believe in as he turned and got ready to sleep.

 

Never had Jake launched himself out of bed faster than he did the next morning, jogging towards the bathroom before even putting on his glasses and nearly pressing his nose to the mirror to study the sticky note.

hEY!!

It was scrawled underneath his own greeting, letters faint and wavering in brown ink. Jake stared, not quite trusting his sleep-bleary and unaided eyes.

He had communicated with a ghost. _A ghost!_

Peeling his eyes away from the note, he turned to his own reflection and met his own expression of wonder. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed movement.

He stiffened, eyes going wide. The boy was back, slightly clearer now despite the fact Jake could barely see.

White eyes in a gray-blue face glowed. Wide horns sprouted from the sides of his head, his short dark hair styled into a mohawk.

Jake offered a hesitant smile. The ghost, indistinct as his features were, seemed to reciprocate, and brought his hand up for a wave.

Jake cleared his throat.

“I'm Jake, it's quite the pleasure to meet you!” Part of him was very proud of himself from keeping nervousness from his voice, weak as it was due to disuse. He wasn't sure the ghost was able to respond at all, but he figured being polite wouldn't hurt.

Instead of giving a response, he vanished. Jake frowned as unexpected disappointment washed over him. He sighed, quickly washing his face and brushing his teeth.

Before departing on his trek across the island, he scribbled a quick note and was gone before he could question his own intentions.

 

Hiking was a several-days long excursion despite the relative smallness of his island. The straps of his backpack dug into this shoulders and pressed heavily into his sweaty back, only making the discomfort of a full day's travel worse. Just before sundown he found a tiny clearing to set up camp and sunk to the ground with a huff. The humid air was still and for a moment he sat, enjoying the solitude.

Until he wasn't. The quiet rang in his ears and unsettled him. He couldn't place his finger on it until there was a rustle to his left. His hands were on his pistols in a second, hopping to his feet with eyes narrowed.

It was quiet again. No birds settled in for the night, no nighttime prey scuttled underfoot. The only sound came from Jake's pounding heart. Silence surrounded him.

He didn't hear the large white cat burst from the foliage and tackle him to the ground. The weight on his chest was immense. One pistol was knocked out of his hand and the other arm was pinned painfully to his chest. His head bounced against the ground and spots danced in his vision, but he managed to wrench his arm free and bring the pistol up. He took aim as razor sharp claws bore down on him.

Then the beast stopped, its furious growls morphing into quiet purrs. Jake was frozen, confusion stopping him from shooting it as it hopped off of his chest and meandered into the jungle.

Jake stood on shaking legs and stared after it, clinging to his pistol like a life preserver in a storm. His breath was ragged and shallow as he looked around his campsite for what might have scared off the giant predator.

A glow caught his eye among the trees. He caught a glimpse of a bull-like horn and his eyes widened, a grin on his face before he even realized it.

“Salutations, old friend! I assume you have something to do with the hasty escape made by that big ol' scaredy-cat?”

The ghost boy, hesitant in his movements, came out from behind the trees. He shrugged.

“No need for modesty now; if it was you, you might've saved me from, well... ending up in a situation much like your own.”

Jake could just barely make out the upturn of his lips as he shrugged again.

“Really though, thank you, ol' chum. That was a right shock to the system I'll say.”

The ghost same forward, hovering on a tail of sorts that faded into invisibility before it reached the ground.

“It was no problem, Jake. Glad you aren't dead and all.” His voice was faint and halting and Jake strained to hear him.

“I didn't know you could speak! What's your name?”

The ghost nodded. “Yeah, I can talk. I don't really, y'know, like too, I guess. And I don't really have a reason most of the time? But I'm Tavros, hey,” he said with a quick bob of his head in greeting.

“Well Tavros, how would you feel about accompanying me on my expedition? I was just headed to the western shore to poke around for washed-up oddities, a travel buddy to scare off nosy critters would be a delight!” Jake offered.

Tavros, looking more solid than Jake had ever see him, debated for a moment before he nodded.

“Yeah, okay!”

“Splendid!” Jake said, grinning widely. After a moment Tavros returned the smile and Jake knew that this adventure would be the most fun to date.

 


End file.
